


Admiration Is A Double-Edged Sword

by azumanishi



Series: Azumane Asahi Week (2015, November 1 - 7) [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Azumane Asahi-centric, Canon Compliant, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-11
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-01 00:06:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5184782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azumanishi/pseuds/azumanishi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asahi's second year of high school was an emotional rollercoaster.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Going Up

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Azumane Asahi Week Day 2: Relationships

"This is it! This is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for!” Daichi was shouting with excitement. It’s unusual to see him like this, but Asahi is relieved to see that he can still act his age. Before, when he was still calling him Sawamura-kun, he did wonder if the other boy was too mature for his age.

Although, who wouldn’t be excited? The crowned Best Libero of the most recent middle school volleyball competition has just joined their volleyball club. Asahi swears everyone’s jaw was on the floor the second they realized who that tiny person was. He even saw a hint of a smile from Captain Kurokawa’s otherwise stoic face.

Before the arrival of the new recruits, the whole team was worried because there wasn’t a natural libero in their current lineup. Their previous libero graduated along with their former captain, Hidemi Tashiro, and the rest of the third years. Though he did overhear that their newly appointed captain was considering Daichi for the position because he has gotten so good at receives from constant practice and has further developed his court sense.

“You’re right, Daichi!” Suga’s exclamation interrupted his thoughts. “This is what Tashiro-senpai must have been talking about!”

“Aah,” he agreed, his voice not as loud as the other two but definitely just as excited. The three of them can’t stop grinning.

“We also got a new powerful wing spiker in that kid Tanaka,” Daichi pointed out.

“That's true. You better watch out Asahi, or he’ll steal your position.” Suga poking fun at him was becoming a constant occurrence these days.

“Don’t say that, Suga,” he whined. He really doesn't mind the teasing that much. It makes him think they have gotten closer. After a pause the three of them were laughing again.

“He does need to learn how to control his spikes.” Daichi noted, ever the voice of reason.

“Don’t worry, I’ll train with him. I’ll try to keep my sets consistent for him so he won't have a hard time adjusting. But he will need someone to help him with his approach and wrist movement. Think you can help him out Asahi?” Both Daichi and Suga are looking expectantly at him now.

“I’ll try,” he answered, voice timid as usual. He may not be the best option since he has only just started to become more consistent in his attacks – only 3 spikes outside and 1 straight into the net this time – but he will do his best to help out the team. Afterall, he is a senpai now.

“You better,” Suga teased, and that brought another bout of laughter from the three boys.

“I feel like things will only get better for us from here on out,” Daichi said, in a quiet voice this time, and Asahi, who rarely feels optimistic, agrees.

~*~

It’s a bit unnerving, being stared at like this. Although lately, because of his growth spurt, people have been glancing his way more often. This is different, however. Asahi can’t pretend anymore and tell himself that he isn’t the sole focus of those cat-like eyes. Nishinoya has been staring at him for at least a full minute now.  

And this isn’t the first time it happened.

At first, he didn’t pay it any attention, thinking their libero was just observing his new teammates.

The next time was during spiking practice. Nishinoya was on the other side of the court and he could clearly see those big eyes trained on him. Normally, he would have been more bothered, but he was really focused on improving his spikes.

He felt that gaze again while he was cooling down and taking a break. He usually has Daichi and/or Suga by his side, but, the former was talking to their captain and the latter was discussing extra practice with Tanaka. He slowly brought down the water bottle he was drinking from and glanced around, trying to look for things or persons he can hide behind of. Cursing his size when he couldn’t find one, he started panicking and could only stare helplessly back.

He was trying to formulate an apology in his mind, thinking he unintentionally offended the libero somehow, when he saw the other boy take a deep breath and then start walking determinedly towards him.

Asahi considered running away, but fear kept him rooted to where he was standing.

“Your spike is like BOOM!!! It’s amazing!!! So powerful!!! Will you please let me receive it?!!!”

He doesn’t need to turn his head to know they had everyone’s attention.

After a beat, they heard a _“Nishinoya keep it down”_ then a _“Yes, I’m sorry, Captain”_ right afterwards, and then everyone went back to what they were doing before.

Asahi was more surprised by the loudness of the voice coming from that small body than the nature of the request itself. And while he was gathering his wits, Nishinoya, after bowing in apology to the room at large, turned towards him again, but this time, with a pleading look in his eyes.

“Um, okay,” Asahi unwittingly agreed. He just couldn’t say no to _that_.

“YES!!!”

Asahi jerked back from the loud noise.

“ **Nishinoya**.”

“I’m sorry, Captain."

 _What a funny kid,_ Asahi thought and laughed quietly to himself.

~*~

“Can we practice again, Azumane-san?!!!”

Asahi thinks this must be how it feels like to be attacked by an excitable puppy.

“Noyassan, it’s rude to barge in and suddenly ask people like that.” It seems like Tanaka and Nishinoya already became close in the few days they have known each other. He thinks it’s probably because of Shimizu.

Suga suddenly started laughing. “It’s weird hearing them call you _Azumane-san_ ,” he said it like it was the most disgusting thing in the world. Asahi feels offended. “Just call him Asahi.”

“Asahi-san, can we practice again?!” Nishinoya’s eyes are shining again.

Suga is still laughing. “You love practicing with Asahi, don’t you, Nishinoya?”

“Yes. His spiking form is ***** beautiful.”  

“Beaufitul, huh?” Suga's laughter died down but there’s a twinkle in his eye that Asahi knows usually spells trouble for him.

“I don’t mind, Nishinoya, let’s go practice.” He is aware that it’s weird for him to be acting like this, hurrying the libero along and almost manhandling him, but when Suga is like that, it’s better for his peace of mind to steer clear of the setter. “I’ll help you with your down the line spike later, Tanaka.”

“Osu! Thanks Asahi-san.”

He can hear Suga’s hysterical laughter in the distance.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * - I wanted to use the Japanese word kirei because it can mean both beautiful and clean(unblemished) and is commonly used to describe an athlete's form, but I just can’t find an English word that fits so I just used beautiful instead.


	2. Climbing Higher

"It's important to adjust to the set too. Oftentimes, the set won't be to your liking, especially during a bad first ball. For those times, the toss is left to us, Wing Spikers, to make do with." Asahi then went into detail. "Our priority is to make it harder for the other team to receive properly, or if you can, just score right away. You can try aiming for the arm near the antenna to score off the block. It's a valid option since you're a powerful spiker. Just make sure the ball hits the arm first before the antenna or it'll be called outside."

Tanaka's eyes kept widening during his explanation. "I see," he said while nodding thoughtfully.

"Remember not to drop your shoulders when spiking," Asahi reminded Tanaka. "With your strength, the ball will definitely go out."

"Osu! I'll keep that in mind Asahi-san." Tanaka saluted him.

Their spiking practice with Suga abruptly came to an end when one of their 3rd year seniors called the setter to toss for them. The two spikers were left to their own devices, so Asahi decided to use their time wisely and share to Tanaka the techniques he has learned throughout the years he has been playing volleyball.

"Well aren't you a great senpai." Daichi introduced himself by teasing Asahi right off the bat.

"Ryuu! Listen to Asahi-san!!!" Nishinoya piped up behind the utility spiker. Asahi didn't notice him trailing behind Daichi.

"I will Noyassan! I will!!!" Tanaka nodded eagerly. “He has been giving me a lot of great advice. I feel like I can score more now in our practice games. UWOOOOHHHH I’M FIRED UP!!!” He started taking off his shirt but Daichi was quick to stop him with a knuckle to the head.

“Keep it down.” Daichi warned sternly.

Asahi laughed quietly at the scene as it registers to him that Daichi will undoubtedly be the next captain. He’s a natural leader, really responsible. At first, you might think he’s not charismatic enough to be a captain, but he has his own brand of charm. He may not be flashy, but he’s really dependable. You can always count on Daichi to have your back. He may act like a strict father to Asahi most of the time, but he genuinely appreciates it. He thinks that’s just how Daichi is as a friend. Asahi is really grateful to have him as one.

"Asahi-san! Are you free to practice?" Before he knew it, the agile libero was in front of him, looking up with hopeful eyes.

He unconsciously hunched his shoulders and scratched the back of his head as he looked down to answer the libero. "Ah sure," he agreed, voice timid.

Daichi punched him on the arm. Hard. "Stop being a wimp. Nishinoya is a great practice partner. I've learned a lot already just by doing receive training next to him."

Nishinoya suddenly started laughing oddly as he furiously waved his arms in front of him. "Ah I'm really not! Hahaha Yo-you don't have to say that Daichi-san!" His face was becoming redder by the second.

Tanaka laughed at him. "Don't be shy, Noyassan. You're an amazing player!!!"

"You even won the Best Libero award." Daichi added with an amused smile on his face.

"I-I-It's not..." Nishinoya mumbled, stubbornly refusing to look at any of them.

Asahi smiled fondly at the blushing libero. He thinks it's charming that a skillful player like Nishinoya can be so modest about his achievements.

"L-l-let's go practice! I'll be receiving!!!" Nishinoya was quickly moving to the other side of the net as he says this. Good thing his voice was loud and they were able to hear him just fine even with the distance.

"All right, I'll do underhand sets for you two. I also need to practice it. I'm a utility spiker after all. I need to be more versatile." Daichi stated. His determination has always been one of the things Asahi admired most about him.

With a resolute nod, Asahi silently vowed to further improve his play.

~*~

Asahi gritted his teeth in pain as he gingerly sat down on the chair Shimizu prepared for him. His ankle is still throbbing. He landed awkwardly on it during their practice match. He had to be subbed out and captain Kurokawa ordered him to rest for the remainder of their practice. He also told Asahi to go to the nurse's office and have his injury checked. Fortunately, it only seems like a mild sprain and wasn't swelling that badly. It still hurts a lot though.

"Stretch your leg, Azumane. We need to ice your ankle." Shimizu instructed, ice pack already in hand. She truly is an efficient manager.

Asahi followed but not without a lot of wincing. Once he was positioned according to Shimizu's specifications, she carefully placed the ice pack on the swelling muscle.

"It doesn't seem to be that bad, but just in case, we need to have it checked by the nurse." Shimizu observed. "Let's wait for the pain to lessen before we move you."

Asahi nodded in agreement but a frown of frustration was firmly etched on his face. Besides the pain, he's also bothered by the fact that he might need to wait before he is allowed in practice again. He doesn't want to waste any more time with minor injuries. He wants to become a better player through practice. He wants to be an ace the team can rely on.

"Try not to move too much," Shimizu advised. "Don't worry. You'll be back to playing again soon." She reassured him with a small smile.

Before Asahi could reply, they got distracted by Nishinoya diving in front of them as the libero successfully saved the drop ball with his outstretched hand.

"Sorry! Cover!!!"

Suga was on it. "Tanaka I'll leave it to you!"

"Osu!!! ORYAAAAA!!!"

Remarkably, Tanaka was able to score even with three blockers via a powerful off-the-block hit.

"Nice one, Tanaka!" Suga said as he patted the spiker on the shoulder.

"Ryuu!!! That was great!!!" The libero was looking up at his friend proudly.

"That was an amazing save too, Nishinoya." Daichi noted, giving the libero the praise he rightfully deserves.

Asahi is reminded, yet again, how important the first ball is. Every volleyball player knows by heart that without a good receive, the offense won't function properly. Everything in volleyball is indeed connected, but you have to start somewhere first, right? That's where the receives come in. It's the foundation for the play. Without a good first ball, the setter cannot toss properly. The called out play cannot be executed. The offense will be limited; no combination plays, no quicks, no running attacks. The success of the offense rests firmly on the stability of the defense. His coach back in middle school used to always say "Start with a good receive. Everything will fall into place after that."

That's why players like Nishinoya, the defensive experts, are so vital to the team. They serve as the backbone for all volleyball teams, no matter what kind of specialty they have. They are the invaluable players who pride themselves in owning the responsibility for receiving all the serves - may they be complicated floaters or powerful jump serves -, all the spikes - including and especially the punishingly strong ones - and all the dropped balls, no matter how far away they fall from the the player's defensive zone. It's rare to see a libero blaming others for bad first balls. And if they do, they probably shouldn't be playing that position.

And Nishinoya truly is one of the best he has ever encountered. That's an undeniable fact.

**Genius**

That's what they call him. And watching him like this - moving gracefully inside the court, the ball seemingly an extension of his body with the way he is able to effortlessly control its rotation and direction - Asahi totally understands why they put him in such high regards. There's a certain elegance in the way he receives the ball. His movements are akin to dancing, as if his nimble body was following a silent tune and riding the rhythm with ease. Every motion is practiced, polished and efficient. His cat-like eyes never stop darting around the court; attentive to every players' movements, anticipating the play, moving his body accordingly, positioning himself to receive the ball perfectly. It was as if he uses every fiber of his being to exert his will to define the ball's trajectory. It's extremely mesmerizing, watching Nishinoya play.

"He really is an incredible libero." Shimizu said, snapping Asahi out of his trance-like state.

"Aaahhh..." A small bubble was caught in his throat and he had to cough to clear it.

He can feel Shimizu frowning in confusion as she stares down at his flustered form. Asahi's current predicament was due to the fact that, for some reason, he feels really guilty. As if he was caught doing something he shouldn't.

After an exceedingly awkward few minutes, Shimizu finally asked "Do you want to go to the clinic now?"

Asahi readily agreed, hastily seizing the opportunity to escape the tense silence.

"I'll just inform the captain." Shimizu said in parting as she quickly moves along the sidelines towards captain Kurokawa.

She didn't have to wait long for a deadball as Suga's serve went directly straight into the net. Their captain, noticing her trying to catch his attention, called out for a short break. He saw Nishinoya and Tanaka futilely trying to stealth their way towards the talking pair. The duo's adoration for their manager has been evident from the get-go. The way they have been shameless in showing her their affection is amusingly absurd yet at the same time quite admirable. Asahi knows for a fact that everyone in their team has a bit of a crush on Shimizu but nobody has ever dared to voice out their sentiment until these two came along.

Shimizu's conversation with their captain didn't last long and immediately she was back to his side, assisting him in walking. With this distance, Asahi can easily smell her sweet shampoo and he feels truly blessed. Unfortunately, this momentous occasion was spoiled by the taunts and jeers his teammates sent his way.

"Don't lean too much on Shimizu!"

"Yeah! Don't abuse the situation, Azumane!!!"

"We'll kick you out of the team!!!"

Asahi can only force himself to hop faster, too rattled to answer back.

"Shimizu-senpai let me help you!!!"

"Tanaka get back to the court! Everyone shut up and play." Their captain's terse scolding had an immediate effect of quieting down the unruly bunch.

Asahi knows it's all playful banter but he still can't help but be grateful to captain Kurokawa for removing the spotlight from him. He doesn't do well when he's the focus of everyone's attention. He breathed a big sigh of relief and during the process he noticed Shimizu's face was flushed.

"Aaaahhhh I'm sorry about that Shimizu." He feels really guilty for being the cause of her being put on the spot like that.

Shimizu shook her head. "Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong."

Usually, Asahi would let the conversation drop right there - being a bumbling giant when it comes to socializing - but he didn't want to make Shimizu feel more awkward than she already clearly is.

"It must be hard... Being surrounded by idiots all the time," stuttered Asahi.

His clumsy attempt got a shy smile from Shimizu. "It's not that bad. I'm more used to it now."

"What about the first years? Like Tanaka and Nishinoya..." He faltered, not sure if it's okay to be asking this.

He needn't worry, for Shimizu gave an amused chuckle at the mention of the duo. "They can be too much at times but I don't really mind... most of the time. They are like noisy little brothers... or more like pets." She proceeded to laugh quietly at her own observations.

Seeing her like this, Asahi can't help but understand why Nishinoya and Tanaka are so captivated by her. She truly is exceptionally beautiful.

"We're here, Azumane."

Indeed they are. The school administration made sure that medical care would be readily available for the student athletes in case of emergencies, so they moved the nurse's office near the gyms for easy access.

"Thanks, Shimizu. You can go back to the gym now. I can go by myself."

"I have to tell the captain the result of the examination." Shimizu explained patiently.

"Ah-I see..."

"Let's go, Azumane."

As he follows Shimizu towards the office, Asahi couldn't help but brood over the fact that he made himself a fool yet again.

~*~

Asahi slowly made his way home, walking properly now. The examination went well. The nurse told him that it was just a very mild sprain and he didn't even have to rest to recover. He can go attend the morning practice tomorrow.

"There he is!!!" Someone shouted behind him.

Even as he turned to look, he could hear another person screaming his name.

"Asahi-saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannn!!!"

Ah, that voice he recognizes, Asahi thought, the corners of his lips lifting in an easy smile as he watches Nishinoya run towards him.

"Nishinoya, Tanaka." Asahi greeted as the pair reached him. "Why are you still here?"

"This guy insisted we wait for you." Tanaka said, answering for the both of them.

Nishinoya nodded in confirmation as he inspects Asahi from head to toe. "Are you okay now?"

The libero's obvious concern made Asahi smile unwittingly. "Yeah, it was just a mild sprain. I can start practicing again tomorrow morning."

"That's great!!!" Nishinoya said, giving him a winsome grin.

"Good, good, but tell me Asahi-san," Tanaka said as he sidled over to Asahi's side. "How did Shimizu-senpai smell like?"

"Ah! Ryuu!!! Nice idea!!!" Nishinoya shouted in glee. "Maybe he has her smell on him." Even as he was saying this, he was already sniffing the air near Asahi.

"Oh!!! You're right, Noyassan!!!" And Tanaka started sniffing him too.

"W-wait!!! Stop!!! I don't have her smell on me!!!" Asahi struggled to push Tanaka away. Nishinoya already has his face buried on his chest. He even has his arms around Asahi, trying to keep him still.

"He's right, Ryuu!!! He only smells like Asahi-san!!!" Nishinoya declared, sharing his findings with Tanaka. He had to pull his head away from Asahi's chest to say this but he kept his arms wound tightly around the ace.

Tanaka, who Asahi was able to fend off, moaned in dismay. "Aaawww man."

"Asahi-san," Nishinoya said, looking up at Asahi and perching his chin on the ace's chest. "You should be more careful! Don't get yourself injured anymore!"

"O-okay," was Asahi's breathless reply. It's really unsettling, having the libero's full focus on him. His heart hasn't stopped its rapid beating which began the moment the libero put his arms around him.

"Asahi-san, I'm glad you're okay, but it's getting late and I need to get going now. I'm heading home, Noyassan!" Tanaka was already walking away backwards even as he said this. "See ya tomorrow at practice, Asahi-san!"

After squeezing his arms tightly around Asahi once, the energetic libero quickly ran to reach his friend's side and then turned to wave cheerfully at Asahi. "Bye Asahi-san! Take care on your way home! See you tomorrow morning!!!"

Even as Asahi calmly waved back in goodbye, he still feels bewildered by everything that has transpired in the last couple of minutes. It doesn't help that his heart hasn't stopped beating wildly in his chest and he can still feel the warmth of Nishinoya's embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I can finish this in three chapters but I realized I wanted and needed to take my time with this. ^^;


End file.
